Where have all the bees gone? Many who care deeply are searching. Clues are floating to the surface. I see parallels with the human condition of late. Not to suggest that we live in colonies which are collapsing, but rather that if we did live in colonies or clusters or like-minded swarms we would be better insulated against what seems to be heading our way. We actually live today in a morass of commerce-defined mud which denies us our ability to produce �honey.� We have little or no savings or food put by or fuel stockpiled or seed saved. Many of us live without a support group of family and neighbors ready and anxious to help each other out in times of need. We live day-to-day trusting that what we need will be available and affordable when we need it. We don�t produce the sweet stuff of sustenance. We have no �honey� to spin. The means to change this are at hand today. In a very short time we can return to our rightful colonies, clusters or swarms. And we don�t have to go backwards to do it.

The new, The healthy, and The hopeful; These things are on my mind. The new? With this issue of the Journal we are joined by hundreds of high school students accessing this magazine for the first time at high school libraries which have been gifted subscriptions by you, the readers of SFJ. We all invited them to join us for this quarterly potluck discussion of self-sufficiency and true farming because it is high time we took aggressive action to add to our ranks for the future. And because we trust those bright young minds will be captivated by what they find here. It is my personal philosophy that we should speak as we always have, never toning or moderating the message just because we may have new young readers. Keep the carousel spinning at the same gainful pace. Those young people may be our golden rings to reach for, but I prefer to think they will be attracted to the shapes, colors, possibilities, and landscapes viewed as we spin by, busy in our dedicated usefulness. Rather they should choose to jump aboard and join us.

The healthy? High fuel prices and erratic global market pressures are rapidly reacquainting folks to the beauty, strength and security which may come of local self-reliance. Nearby farmers and artisans are increasingly valued as the cost of shipping goods from around the planet becomes more and more prohibitive. Chairmakers, shoemakers, market gardeners, cheesemakers, dressmakers, woodcutters, blacksmiths, wooliers, candlemakers, et al., supplying inside of 30, 50 and 100 mile circles of community, this is a working definition of healthy.

The hopeful? Within this time we see the challenging economic, political and energy climate actually rewarding new, creative, independent, small organic farmers in highly lucrative and sustainable ways. Not only are they increasingly valued as members of local society, as mentioned above, they are also poised to be extremely well-paid for their work. Add to this that there has never been a better time, in all of recorded history, to be a well-informed and well-equipped horsefarmer. Whole lot of new, healthy and hopeful.

At this year�s auction and swap we were joined by a group of twenty-seven college students, all enrolled in the Practice of Sustainable Agriculture program at Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington. David P. Muehleisen, Ph.D and Melissa Barker ramrodded the group as they lent hands to the volunteer effort. Busy though I was I couldn�t help but notice a growing glow from the group as the days progressed. Afterwards we received a thank you card which spoke volumes (see image). This class is a perfect example of the swarms I elude to, a swarm preparing itself to split, head off, and form new clusters or colonies. New, healthy and hopeful.

Those of us with tenure on a piece of land, with tools to farm that land, and with the knowledge to farm are amongst the most fortunate alive on the planet today. Yes, these are difficult times. With every passing day the food supply is thrust deeper into uncertainty what with wars, famine, pestilence, weather changes, corn ethanol, fuel prices, banking insolvency and government meddling to name but a few concerns. The agribusiness community, as orchestrated by multinational corporations and the USDA, continues to mess up farming in ways which can only be described as stupidity and shortsightedness feeding greed. The result? Big farming is collapsing in on itself. So the truly independent small farmer, with increasing success supplying his or her own needs while selling direct to local markets, is in the cat bird seat.

Rather than to technological or biological innovation or industrialization or commercialization, the future of agriculture belongs to mastery of the craft. The notion that more food and fiber and better food and fiber will only be produced by those who are fully invested in the natural processes of farming is the big new idea for the future of mankind. Add to this that these self same directions always return tenfold a better environment and stronger more diversified communities. It is virtually impossible to realize mastery of the craft of farming from the position of large-scale industrialized agriculture. Appropriate human scale is of paramount importance, scale and independence. The truly independent small farmer is the new farmer.

These are uncertain times. Think about those very words for a minute. Aren�t all times uncertain? When has there ever been a time which wasn�t? Yes, desperation, destruction and death have become the mainstay of mass entertainment served through irstwhile news outlets. That might be part of the reason it feels so much worse now. Yes, there is great growing disparity between the rich and the poor. And today there are people with less money than a year ago. Also, today there are people with more money than a year ago. Today we have quiet spots around the globe and other regions torn by war and strife. World governments are being bought and sold every day. The more things change the more they stay the same. Nothing new? In almost every aspect, times are as terribly and comically uncertain as they have always been. Every aspect but three.

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